farewell

/ˈfɛərˌwɛl/

/fɛəˈwɛl/

Other forms: farewells

If you’re saying goodbye to someone you might not see for long time, say farewell, preferably while waving a hankie from the Queen Mary before it sails across the Atlantic. Farewell is a fancy way to say goodbye.

A farewell is also an expression of good wishes at a parting. If you’re leaving a job after being there a long time, your co-workers might throw you a farewell party. Farewell is an expression, like "goodbye," but also a noun — if you like to leave without a lot of fuss, you don’t like long farewells. Farewell is a combination of fare and well. Fare comes from the Old English word faran, which means "to journey."

Definitions of farewell

1. noun

   an acknowledgment or expression of goodwill at parting
   synonyms: word of farewell

   types:

   adieu, adios, arrivederci, au revoir, auf wiedersehen, bye, bye-bye, cheerio, good day, good-by, good-bye, goodby, goodbye, sayonara, so long

   a farewell remark

   bon voyage, send-off

   an organized expression of goodwill at the start of a trip or new venture

   good morning, morning

   a conventional expression of greeting or farewell

   afternoon, good afternoon

   a conventional expression of greeting or farewell

   good night

   a conventional expression of farewell

   type of:

   acknowledgement, acknowledgment

   a statement acknowledging something or someone
2. noun

   the act of departing politely
   “he disliked long farewells”

   synonyms: leave, leave-taking, parting

   types:

   valediction

   the act of saying farewell

   type of:

   departure, going, going away, leaving

   the act of departing